Tech, books, and part-time faculty hit…
Month: November 2008
Conflicting schedules
It’s hard not to marvel at the skill and dedication of student athletes. Balancing school, sports and social life isn’t an easy task.
With commitments all over the place, scholar-athletes are often faced with critical time-related decisions. Should I go out tonight or do my required reading? Go to the gym or the library?
But there are some decisions our athletes shouldn’t have to make – like what’s more important, failing a class or playing in your final collegiate soccer game.
High expectations set for seasoned women’s team
It was a busy off-season for the USM women’s basketball team.
After suffering a heartbreaking loss in the first round of the NCAA tournament to Brandeis, the Huskies have since had to rebuild their roster and install a new coach.
But despite all of the changes, the Huskies are still picked to finish second in the Little East behind Eastern Connecticut and even received votes in the D3hoops.
Senior-less men’s squad hopes to prove critics wrong
ture looks bright.
With a host of transfers and freshmen, this year’s squad look like they’re a year or two away from being a force in the Little East Conference.
In the meantime, though, there’s a season to be played and the Huskies’ success will rely on getting better every game.
Eccentricity, laughter and song in
When I arrived in Robie-Andrews and scurried into Burnham Lounge for the monthly coffee house, a crowd of 40 or so were gathered around Kurt Perry, singing “If I Didn’t Believe in You” from the musical The Last Five Years. It was a solo act; he was focusing on the vocals.
Quantum of Solace
James Bond is number three on the American Film Institute’s list of the greatest movie heroes of all time. For many filmgoers he is the epitome of sleek, badass, male, danger on a path to destroy evil and willing to take out time to bed the ladies. After Sean Connery’s iconic portrayal as author Ian Flemming’s fictional MI-6 spy character, audience enthusiasm dropped.
Rashomon
Akira Kurosawa’s 1950 masterpiece Rashomon, released on DVD as part of the esteemed Criterion Collection, remains one of Japan’s most influential and visually stimulating films. Kurosawa worked closely with cinematographer Kazuo Miyagawa in creating a stunning display of light, shadows and virtuoso camerawork.
The Man Who Came to Dinner
A large cast. A highly referential, period-specific text. A cavalcade of outsized, eccentric characters. A run time of nearly three hours, with two intermissions.
Moss Hart and George S Kaufman’s 1939 play, “The Man Who Came to Dinner,” is a dramaturgical minefield.
Catching island energy
A large crowd of Maine island residents gathered in the Portland Museum of Art last Thursday to hear a lecture presented by Soren Hermansen from Samso Island, Denmark, which since 1998 has reduced its carbon foot print by 140% with renewable wind energy.
“The thrills of the western foothills”
It’s still dark out as I hop in my car and head west on Route 25 towards the New Hampshire border. The drive lasts about 45 minutes until I finally reach my destination as the sunrise takes full effect. I’m just off Route 160 in Brownfield, at the trailhead for Burnt Meadow Mountain.
The answer, my friends
During this chilling transition into winter, things can start to look grim for the coming months. Shorter daylight hours can get anyone down, and if winter sports aren’t your thing, the prospect of snow might do nothing more for you than conjure up images of backbreaking, early-morning shoveling.
Strength through peace
“Until when do we have to see this bloodshed?”
The question was posed by Lucy Talgieh, a Palestinian Christian. She emegrated to Isreal from the United States 26 years ago, and works as project director for the Wi-am Center for Conflict Resolution in Bethlehem.
“Raven” about corn: everything to crow about
The open field across the street from our farm invites the northwest winds to invigorate the yard, sometimes saving us hours of raking or shoveling. Such was the wind that howled during the full moon last week. Its invisible force blew the tied cornstalks away from the craggy granite signpost on the front lawn.
Costly calories
For Aubin Thomas, grocery shopping isn’t about picking foods that look tasty. It’s about picking foods that won’t make her sick. But even more than that, its about picking foods that won’t break the bank.
“I have a lot of dietary restrictions,” she says.
Clash of the Titans
For lovers of local music in Southern Maine, the phrase ‘Clash of the Titans’ no longer refers to a film pairing super hero against super hero, rather, it means a competition of super-bands, by local band members.
Beginning in 2006, local musicians began collaborating to perform evenings of cover songs by super-bands, pitting The Red Hot Chilli Peppers v.
Bringing it home
Just a few years ago, Lauren Reid was playing Division I lacrosse at one of the highest ranked schools in the country. The University of Maryland had won seven out of nine national championships before she arrived. During her freshman season, her fellow Lady Terrapins suffered a heart-breaking loss in the NCAA semi finals to the Princeton Tigers, who went on to win the national title in 2003.
Trent Austin:
With a list of prestigious awards and a performance resume with people such as Natalie Cole, Joe Williams, and Tony Bennett, USM is hosting a very special faculty recital. The very talented trumpeter, Trent Austin, will be performing in Gorham’s Corthell Hall on Friday, November 14th at 8:00.
The vinyl experience
Cassette tape sightings are at an all-time low, Laserdiscs are just technological folklore, and unless you’re rooting around in your grandparent’s basement, you might never lay eyes on an 8-track tape. These obsolete recording technologies have graciously made way for a new frontier of digital music, but there is still one medium that refuses to accept its analog mortality.
Letter from the Editor
Sitting in class on Wednesday, I was struck by a strange feeling. It was a strange amalgamation of pride, possibility, respect, and as tired as meaningless as the words has become – hope. Less than 12 hours before, our nation had ignored racial prejudice, demonstrated its maturity, and elected an African-American man to the country’s highest office.
Panthers bounce Huskies
Coming off their first ever Little East Conference regular-season championship, the USM men’s soccer team looked poised to make the NCAA tournament.
Plymouth State had other ideas, though, ending the Huskies’ season with a resounding 3-0 victory last Wednesday in Gorham.
Into the great wide open
It seems like almost a yearly tradition now.
Tour the States in the spring and summer, and once it starts to get cold.go where it could only be colder: Canada.
This year, I will make that annual trip with the band I call my own, The Leftovers, on the weekend of November 13th-16th and it promises to be more fun than a barrel of monkeys.
Armchair academics
ou see snow falling silently out your window. Class starts soon, but there is no need to brave the elements to free your car from last night’s blizzard, no worrying about getting stuck behind an impossibly slow plow as it clears the roads. You fix a cup of cocoa, settle into your favorite recliner and boot up the computer.
“Last Light” captures ‘while you were dying’
Jocelyn Lee’s photography exhibit, “Last Light,” documents the death of her mother, whom she calls a collaborator in the work. The Italian-born photographer also holds a degree in philosophy from Yale, a 2001 Guggenheim Fellowship, has taught at MECA, and now teaches at Princeton.
Field Hockey stopped in semis
The USM field hockey team gave the Keene State Owls all they could handle for 60 minutes. Unfortunately, just under two minutes into overtime, the Owls snuck a shot past junior keeper Allison Hill (Cape Elizabeth) and defeated the Huskies 2-1, dashing USM’s hope of dethroning the reigning LEC champions.